Sociodemographic factors and intestinal inflammation biomarkers associated with stunting in children from East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Background and aim: Stunting remains a critical public health problem in East Nusa Tenggara (ENT), Indonesia. Chronic intestinal inflammation is believed to play an important role in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic factors and biomarkers of intestinal inflammation in stunted children compared with non-stunted children. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 80 children aged 36–45 months (40 stunted and 40 non-stunted) from Kupang city and North Kodi sub-districts of ENT, Indonesia, and received ethical approval (No. 004/KEP-UY/BIA/I/2020). Stunting was defined as a height-for-age z-score (HAZ) below -2 standard deviation (SD). Sociodemographic data were collected through structured interviews with caregivers, and plasma concentrations of intestinal inflammation biomarkers were measured from blood samples. Data were analysed using the Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney tests, and binary logistic regression with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: Low birth weight (p = 0.025) and urban residence (p < 0.001) were significantly more common among stunted children than among non-stunted children. Serum soluble cluster of differentiation 14 (sCD14) concentrations were also significantly higher in stunted children (p = 0.005), and independently associated with stunting (OR = 1.274; 95% CI = 1.017 – 1.596; p = 0.035). Conclusions: Sociodemographic factors and intestinal inflammation are major contributors to stunting among children in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.